Once upon a February
by RyderofClouds
Summary: I should have just minded my own business. Anyone else would have. Instead now I'm neck-deep in something I previously thought only existed in my childhood dreams. I'm not sure whether I should be terrified or thrilled to rediscover this mysterious world.
1. The late night run-in

_AN:_ _Yes, I've published A Gentleman is simply a patient Demon first, but this is actually my first ever attempt at a fanfiction. I've written it back in 2013, inspired one late winter night walking through the dark village neighbourhood. Having seen the movie The Rise of the Guardians back in December, the movie was still fresh in my mind and my tired brain came up with this silly little scenario...when we see Pitch getting the living daylights beat out of him, how would a simple passerby interpret that situation?_

 _I reread it recently and decided to put it up here too for anyone who would find it enjoyable to read._

 _Constructive criticism is always welcome! Enjoy! : )_

 _I do not own Rise of the Guardians nor its characters._

 **Chapter 1: The late night run-in**

It was around half ten, give or take. The streets were deserted as they should be at this hour apart from the occasional cars that passed me by, briefly illuminating the otherwise dark and snowy neighbourhood. I just left a party in which I felt more of an outsider than ever before. As I was jogging down the stairs leading away from the university, I began to think over the events of the party in my head: I know I'm not exactly the heart of the party, at least anywhere but at home, where I drive the folks nuts, but I'd like to think that I'm not completely dull and capable of making interesting conversation. I let my frustrations out on an unfortunate rock nearby, satisfied with the sounds it made while it rolled down the hillside. Soon I reached the centre of town and took a left turn towards the tranquil village, where I was renting an apartment for this semester. As I was ranting on and on under my breath, battle cries caused me to lift my head and look towards the source. The events that unfolded before my eyes left me frozen on the spot, but not exactly because of the cold.

A man with coal black hair wearing a pitch black robe of some kind fell from the roof onto a nearby car then landed in a painful thud on the ground.

Anyone in their right mind probably would have ran off, wanting nothing to do with street fights or the like, but being the helpful kindred spirit I am, I sprinted towards him. He probably broke most if not all of his bones from that fall. Heck, he should be lucky if he is still alive! I reached him just as he was about to get up.

"Oh, my God! Are you OK?" I checked him over for any visible injuries. He flinched at my touch.

"Hold still, in case of a broken bone, it's best to just lay still and wait for an ambu...lance", The most beautiful cat-like golden eyes I have ever seen bore into my silver ones. I forgot to breathe for a second and what I was doing, before I got lost in those golden orbs.

"You still believe, after all these years?" He asked incredulous, his eyes growing to the size of saucers and with barely concealed excitement in a refined British accent, while still examining me. I blinked, twice. This, being the first sentence leaving his lips mixed with the intensity of his stare made me uneasy all of a sudden. How hard did he hurt his head anyway? I tried my hardest to act as if he had not just creeped the living hell out of me with this question of his. His lips turned into a dangerous half-smirk and I couldn't help but feel as if he could emphatically sense my fear. I shrugged off the feeling, blaming it all on exhaustion.

"I'll call for an ambulance, just lay still." I instructed him, concern back in my voice while digging into my coat pockets for my phone. I took a sharp intake of breath as he grabbed my hand before I could take out the phone and it fell back into the depths of my pocket.

"What are you d...?" I asked outraged, but he cut me off with a sweet smile.

"Thank you for your kindness, but that will not be necessary." He stood and pulled me to my feet. Wow, no injuries or broken bones. I guess he must be a skilled cascadeur.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Pitch Black, the one and only Nightmare King." He took a bow and kissed my hand still held in his, his eyes never leaving mine. Well at least he is being a gentleman. Still I couldn't help but snort in a very unladylike manner.

"No matter how impressive the costume is, it is way past Halloween, you know." I remarked. Suddenly the kindness gone, replaced by a fiery scowl, but I could make out hints of hurt in those cat-like eyes. He opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by a shout.

"Get away from her!"

What happened next was all a blur. I was about to turn to see the owner of that voice, when I was pushed on the ground just in time before a ray of frost hit the spot me and the dark stranger occupied a moment ago. Only now could I get good look of my would-be attacker: a teenage boy around seventeen, with snow-white locks for hair and ice-blue eyes. He wore a blue sweater decorated with frost patterns and brown leggings and he held a shepherd staff in his hand. It wasn't the fact that he wore no shoes or a coat in this weather, neither his odd physical traits that caught me off guard, but the fact that he was FLOATING IN AIR! I searched for Pitch Black (as he introduced himself) only to find him reappearing from a nearby shadow. I'm not high! I did not just see a floating person and another materialising from the wall! I did not even drink during the party!

"Sorry about that, I wasn't aiming at you." The boy looked at me with an apologetic expression, then he looked taken aback and turned to see if I was indeed gawking openly at him. "You can see me?"

I raised a brow at his question. What is with people tonight and idiotic questions? Convinced that I was indeed staring at him, he started floating towards me. Now every fibre of my being was screaming at me to get up and run as far from this madness as physically possible and I obeyed. I jumped up and started dashing in the direction of home, deciding to take the shorter route through the forest. Foolish and not well thought through, but I hoped that I could lose them in the darkness and vegetation.

"Hey! Wait!"


	2. Prove it!

**Chapter 2: Prove it!  
**

This is the last time I stay out this late because of a stupid party and rush to the help of dangerous individuals! Why can't I just mind my own business? I just hope I don't end up like those girls in the news! A shudder I could hardly suppress ran through my spine. Running up a snow covered slope sure is fun, especially late at night and while being chased by a floating frost-shooting boy and a shadow-person (note the sarcasm). I repeatedly slipped on ice, but quickly regained my footing and continued running! It seemed as if even the shadows were after me, though I blamed that on nerves. Thankfully the silver rays of the full moon shining above illuminated the way and thus I managed to trip over roots and the underbrush less frequently. No matter how determined I was to get home, my adrenaline was depleting fast and the end of the forest seemed nowhere near. I thought of my favorite upbeat song to keep me going.

When I reached the top of the slope at long last, I tripped on a sneaky root that was previously covered by snow and I painfully went tumbling down, getting my cheek slashed by the occasional rock or twig. I took a deep breath once I stopped moving and hissed in pain. I carefully pushed myself up on my hands and felt the soon-to-be visible bruises on my hip. I pushed down my discomfort and started running again. I could just make out the end of the woods and the street lights on the side of the road that led to the neighborhood.

Suddenly the atmosphere turned colder than it already was. I started to sprint at full speed. I just left the dark woods, when the very person I was running from blocked my path. I almost jumped out of my skin. The floating teenager looked at me with a genuine smile.

"Don't worry I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to make sure you make it home safe."

"Leave me alone, will you! I don't need your help, frost-boy!" I sidestepped him and continued running. His laughter rang behind me. "Frost-boy? Now that's new!" Then Frost-boy started flying next to me. "You run fast for a girl. The name's Jack Frost." He winked at me. "And you are?" I couldn't help but stop and stare at him.

"Jack Frost? As in the spirit of winter?" He landed in front of me and nodded enthusiastically. "Riiiight! I don't care who you're cosplaying as or that other guy, but I couldn't care less. Just fly off!"

"No, I truly am Jack Frost! I'm sorry, but this is new to me. You're the first person to see me in a while! You can't imagine how thrilled I am!"

I thought for a second then folded my arms "OK, if you truly are THE Jack Frost, then prove it!"

"But how?" he asked with barely concealed excitement, obviously wanting me to believe him.

"Make a huge snow blizzard! There, on that field." I pointed to the fenced-off field down the snowy hill.

"Please, give me an actual challenge!" Then he flew off and tapped his wooden staff against the ground. The next instant the gently falling flakes were joined by millions more and strong arctic winds howled that created an Arctic scene so real that for a second I was expecting to see polar bears to walk around and frolic in the snow. I stood there awestruck. Frost-boy landed beside me with a smug grin.

"Convinced yet or do you need me to freeze over that nearby lake too?" I frowned at him and pouted my lips in a childish manner. "It could have been a coincidence, it is February after all!" I thought some more. "OK if you can do this, then I won't doubt you!" I tapped my chin in thought, then smirked at him, "OK, create a statue made of ice, that won't melt if I touch it!"

He set to work immediately. He froze the lake while he was passing it by and then stood on its shore, wondering what shape his statue should take. In the meantime I walked to the lake and to my surprise it was so densely frozen over, that I was certain even 100 people could skate on it without danger of it breaking. I looked up at him with a smile plastered across my face to see he finished his statue, it was of me (with the wide-eyed expression I had when I first saw him flying the first time!) I let out a laugh and shook my head at him. He laughed along with me and walked over to me.

"Sooooo…you believe me know, when I say I am THE Jack Frost?"

"OK, I do believe you are Jack Frost. But that is so cool, I mean I just met my childhood legend! Cool!" I was feeling so hyper from the running and the discovery that I hugged him. He went rigid in my hold, but eventually returned the hug. I eventually let go of him and he held his hand out to me.

"Come on! Take my hand and I'll bring you home." I took it instantly and he began to rise high into the night sky. I let out a yelp of surprise and went to grab his shoulder, to which he just laughed and stopped his ascent to adjust my position. Now I was on his back staring down at the neighborhood with childish wonder.

"I always wanted to fly and not just on an airplane." I whispered. "This is amazing! Oh, I can see my house from here!" I pointed in the direction of home. "But let's fly a little before going home. I don't know when I'll wake up from this dream, but I'd rather dream it while it lasts." I started humming _A whole new world_. Jack smiled at me and started humming along as well. We flew over town and admired the scenery while the cold harsh winter wind blew in my face turning my nose and cheeks a cute pink color. Eventually I let out an involuntary yawn.

"You tired?" He asked. I nodded. "Aww! But we were having so much fun!" Jack exclaimed, but took off to my house anyway. He landed in front of the window leading to the room I rented and opened it with ease.

"Should I be concerned that you could walk into people's houses whenever you felt like it?" I asked with a wary expression, but it soon turned into a large smile. He just coughed into his hand. "It's not like I steal or anything." He smirked back. "Watching people sleep is not a crime."

"Creeeepy!" I retorted in a playfully high voice, then climbed in and set my bag against the desk. "Well good night, I suppose, if you sleep that is. You will be back tomorrow, or whenever you have the time between making it snow, right?" I asked unsure, not ready to say goodbye to my new-found friend. Damn it! Why do I have classes tomorrow? "You bet! You aren't getting rid of me that easy. Besides you don't look like you have much fun."

"I have my fun alright! Just...not the type that socially-engaged people have." I mumbled the last bit, guiltily looking in the direction of my laptop.

"Well, that's not going to do, you need to be out there enjoying the snow I created for you! We will fix this tomorrow!" I hugged him and smiled at him broadly. Then I remembered. "Jack. What did you mean when you said that I'm the first person to see you?"

"Well, the only way we could be seen is if children believe in us, adults usually forget their childhood, along with us, so it is a surprise that you can see me. Which brings the question, just how do you know about me?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "I read about you in a myth and legends book and winter is my favourite season, so yeah! I tend to believe in the supernatural, or at least pretend that it exists. Are there more of you?"

"Yes, well you have seen me. Then there is Santa Clause, the Easter Kangaroo, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman. The creepy weirdo you met was Pitch Black, the Boogeyman.

"Kangaroo? Not Bunny?" I snorted.

"Yeah. Well I call him that just to annoy him. I mean with his size n all!" We chuckled. I hugged him one last time before he flew away, his child-like laughter echoing across the wind . My eyes began to water as I waved him goodbye from my window. I think I finally found a friend! Sure, he's a bit weird, but fun-loving, just like me. I closed the window and turned around to get ready for bed, when a familiar pair of cat-eyes met mine. I jumped back with a gasp, but quickly regained my composure and directed an annoyed glare in his direction as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Took that moron long enough. But now my dear believer, I promised to keep you safe, didn't I?"

I was about to tell him just who exactly needed protection, when without warning he pulled me to his body and shadows encircled us both. I didn't even have time to scream. In the next blink of an eye I found myself in an underground cavern of some kind. It was dark, but rays of the moon could still reach its depths. I felt uneasy as soon as I spotted cages hanging from the ceiling. OK lesson of the day, it is always a good idea to stay out of trouble and keep to yourself, especially at night. What did I get myself into this time?

 _AN: Here's chapter 2! You guys were expecting Pitch to find her in the woods, weren't you? ;)_

 _Disclaimer: "A Whole New World" belongs to Disney._

 _Thanks for the fav, follows and reviews guys! At the time I only wanted to mess around with this fic and try out writing a bit. I never thought it would actually be liked. Thanks again so much! :)_

 _Virtual hugs to you all! 3_


End file.
